San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was active cheering for his teammates from the bench on Wednesday as they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 132-119, to advance to the semifinals of the NBA Cup.
While multiple reports point to his impending return from his calf injury, Wembanyama was ruled out against the Lakers. He has sat out their last 11 games.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, however, gave a positive outlook regarding the two-time All-Star ahead of their matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas on Saturday.
“(He could return) very much so. He had a very good day today. He had a good intent day this morning, and we’ll have to see how he responds and reacts tomorrow,” said Robinson, as quoted by The Athletic's Jared Weiss.
Wembanyama was having a stellar campaign when he went down with the calf strain. He is averaging career-highs of 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 4.0 assists assists and 3.6 blocks.
But even in his extended absence, the Spurs have held down the fort. They are 8-3 without the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama.
Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper have missed several games as well due to various injuries, but now that they're all back, San Antonio has gained more momentum.
It will make a huge difference against the Thunder if Wembanyama suits up. It's also a little poetic that he could make his return against the defending champions, who have been nothing but dominant with a 24-1 record. He would want nothing more than to put an end to the Thunder's 16-game winning streak and pick up right where he left off.
